Hall Monitor: Bernie Williams offers fresh take for voters

With the Hall of Fame scheduled to announce voting results on Monday, the Daily Pitch examines several players on this year's ballot:

Subject: Bernie Williams, an outfielder who played his entire career with the New York Yankees (1991-2006). First year on the ballot.

Case for: Williams was a steady, switch-hitting outfielder who made five All-Star teams and won four Gold Gloves. He played for four World Series champions and was MVP of the 1996 ALCS. A career .297 hitter, he combined respectable power with decent speed, hitting 287 homers and stealing 147 bases. Thanks in part to playing for the formidable Yankees, he holds postseason records for home runs (22), RBI (80), runs (83), hits (123) and total bases (223).

Case against: Williams never led the league in any major offensive category and never finished higher than seventh in MVP voting. His home run total pales in comparison to Dale Murphy (398) and Dave Parker (339). It's hard to vote for him ahead of Don Mattingly, who was a .307 career hitter with nine Gold Gloves on Yankees teams before his. In short, Williams would fit nicely in the "Hall of Very Good" with fellow Yankee contributors Bobby Abreu (.293, 284 homers) and Paul O'Neill (.288, 281 homers).

How USA TODAY voted: Seth Livingstone, Bob Nightengale and Mike Dodd did not vote for Williams.

All signs point to: Consideration for the best of the fresh faces on the ballot. Williams could garner support based on his four World Series championship rings. He has no enemies among the voters. But while he figures to surpass the 5% needed to remain on the ballot, it's difficult to imagine him coming anywhere close to the 75 % of the vote required for induction.

To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

USA TODAY is now using Facebook Comments on our stories and blog posts to provide an enhanced user experience. To post a comment, log into Facebook and then "Add" your comment. To report spam or abuse, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box. To find out more, read the FAQ and Conversation Guidelines.

About Daily Pitch

Daily Pitch is a baseball fan's destination for breaking news, emerging trends and enlightening banter. With a veteran group of reporters positioned in three time zones, we provide a balanced, comprehensive glimpse at our national pastime, with a nod to both the passion and complexities that make the sport irresistible to many. More about our reporters